Dreaming of You
by Libbie
Summary: A little window into the lives of Lee and Amanda - follows Breaking Apart


Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon Productions, the plot is mine. No infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute without permission from the author.

Rating: G

Author: Libbie

Synopsis: Takes place shortly after my last story "Breaking Apart" and continues in that world. Lee and Amanda have told family and friends of their relationship. 

Dreaming of You

"Come on, Amanda," Lee was saying in her ear. It seemed like a whisper, but she knew it was a roar. "Amanda? Can you hear me?" The whisper sounded like it was coming from a great distance now. "Hang in there, Amanda, you hear me? You hang in there."

And suddenly, Lee's voice was gone. Everything was gone. No more pain, no more worries. Just emptiness. 

And before she knew what was happening, Amanda was jerked into the past. _If this is a dream_, she thought_, it's pretty realistic._ Then again, it had been one of the happiest times of her life. What better time to revisit it?

It was the night before her wedding. Her second wedding. Well, third if you counted the fake one in San Angelo. She had been nervous the first time, stunned the second. And now?

Now she wasn't sure what she was feeling.

Her emotions were a jumble of anxiety and peace, uncertainty and hopefulness. She desperately wanted to run over to Lee's apartment, to bury herself in his arms and then elope.

But she couldn't. Her mother had spent weeks planning the affair tomorrow and her boys were excited about giving their mother away. Well, Phillip was, anyway. Lee and her oldest shared common interests like sports and cars. Their bonding was almost a non-incident. Jamie was treating his mother's love life with a mixture of dread and tolerance. But she knew that was just a matter of his getting to know Lee. Jamie had always been a reserved child.

Just then, a knock came from the kitchen window. Her pulse leapt, as it always did when he did that.

Amanda raised the blinds and opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked, her usual response to finding Lee in her back yard.

"I missed you?" he asked, hazel eyes twinkling.

"I just left the agency two hours ago," Amanda said in mock disbelief, thrilled beyond measure that he had once again known just when she needed him.

"I guess I couldn't wait another twelve hours to see you," Lee smiled, then handed her a glass of champagne through the open window. "Besides, this is the last time I can sneak into the back yard. After the honeymoon, I'll live here." They had decided to stay in the Arlington house for the time being. Gaining a stepfather was a big step, and neither of them wanted to uproot the boys from the only home they'd known at the same time.

Lee's face bore the scope of his feelings. Suddenly becoming a stepfather to two teenage boys was no small trick. He'd told her that, in some ways, he'd almost rather take on the entire KGB.

"Still nervous?" Amanda asked, knowing the main focus of his thoughts these days.

"About marrying you? Never. About becoming a Dad? Very. But with you as a role model, how can I not do well?"

"Amanda?" Dotty called, turning the corner and seeing Amanda standing next to the open window, holding a glass of champagne. She had a sudden sense of déjà vu, but didn't pay any attention to it. "Did I hear Lee's voice? I need to ask him something."

"At your service," Lee said, popping up from his crouch under the window. Even though he and Amanda had disclosed their relationship, and the true nature of IFF, to her family weeks ago, he had fallen to the ground out of habit.

"What on earth are you doing standing in my tulips?" Dotty asked. But then an understanding came over her face.

"Uh…" Lee faltered.

"So that's why I've never been able to grow a decent flower there," Dotty smiled, then proceeded to ask him a ton of questions regarding the ceremony the next day. "One last thing," she smiled. "No weapons at the wedding." And with that, she left the room.

"Billy's not going to like that one," Lee said, knowing the section chief's rule that his agents be armed at all times.

"I don't think Mother's going to frisk you," Amanda smiled, picturing Dotty frisking all the agents before leading them to their seats. Just the thought of Dotty searching Francine was enough to send her into a bout of laughter. When Amanda explained, Lee almost hurt himself laughing.

Jamie came downstairs and stared at his mother and her boyfriend. The look he shot Lee was different from the usual contemptuous one. It pricked at his curiosity.

"Hi, Jamie," Lee tried for casual, but knew it was a losing battle. Having a conversation through an open window was just not a casual thing.

"Can I talk to you?" Jamie asked Lee.

"Sure," Lee said, and moved towards the back door. 

"No, I'll come out. Mom? Can you give us some privacy?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Amanda kissed the top of his head and sent a quizzical look towards Lee. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Amanda left the kitchen, closing the window and blinds to give them privacy. Her curiosity was getting the better of her, but she refused to listen. It might make her a good agent, but it wouldn't make her a good mother. If it was something she needed to know, Lee would tell her.

After ten minutes, Jamie and Lee came in. Amanda almost gasped at the smile on Jamie's face. But she didn't.

"Goodnight Mom. Goodnight, Lee. See you tomorrow," and with another smile, he was gone, up to his room.

"What happened to my sullen, sulking son? The one who refuses to call you Lee?" Amanda asked, shocked at the sudden change.

"We just had a little man to man talk, that's all." When Amanda glared at him, eyebrow raised, he continued. "He's been doing a lot of thinking lately…" Lee stopped when Amanda raised her hand.

"Wait. Maybe I should let Jamie tell me. I don't want him thinking you breached a confidence."

"It's okay. He told me I could tell you. He's been putting memories together. One in particular. Remember when Joe came home?" Lee asked

"Of course," Amanda smiled. "It was when I realized that I was in love with you."

"It was?" Lee said, stunned.

"When I was dancing with Joe, and looked up to see you. It just hit me. Joe was my past, but you were my future." Amanda smiled at the memory of that one night. "But what does that have to do with you and Jamie?"

"He told me tonight that he remembered me. When we told them about us, he thought I looked familiar, but couldn't place it. He did today, in gym class. The high school just added a trampoline to the gym."

Suddenly, Amanda remembered the horrible scene in the middle school gym, Prescott holding a gun to her boys, and Lee saving them once again.

"Jamie told me that when he saw that trampoline, he put it together. That I was the guy they'd seen fighting the bad guy. Apparently, I was pretty cool," Lee grinned, dimple prominent.

"Well, I've heard that," Amanda shot back. "So Jamie's okay with this now?" Amanda wasn't sure whether she could believe it or not.

"Okay is a pretty strong word. Let's just say he doesn't think I'm all that bad anymore." Lee looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In a way, it had.

Amanda and Lee spent another few minutes cuddled close before Lee decided to head home. They had a big day tomorrow, and both wanted to be well rested. Amanda blushed and Lee grinned.

Amanda turned off the lights downstairs and moved to her room. Her wedding dress was hanging on the back of the door. 

She wanted simple, her mother wanted classic, and Francine…Francine had wanted an import from Europe that cost half as much as the house she lived in. It had been the one thing she put her foot down on. And it had stayed down.

Smiling, Amanda held it up in front of her, facing the mirror. Made of cream rayon and lace, it had a slight indent that accentuated her slim waist. She had loved it the minute she tried it on.

The morning of her wedding dawned bright and cloudless. Amanda, her mother and the boys made breakfast and then departed the kitchen to handle the last minute tasks before the guests arrived.

"Jamie?" Amanda called her youngest son back.

"Yeah, Mom?" Jamie stopped, and looked at his feet.

"I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you," Amanda said simply.

"Yeah?" Jamie met her eyes through his glasses.

"Yeah," she parroted. "Your talk last night meant the world to Lee. And to me." Amanda wanted to enfold her son in her arms, but knew that sort of affection didn't go over well with boys his age. 

"Okay," he shuffled his feet, clearly uneasy. Assured by his mother's smile, he fled the room.

"Amanda?" Dotty asked from behind her.

"Yes, Mother?" she turned, and Dotty noticed the sheen of tears in her daughter's eyes. 

"You're not having doubts, are you?" Dotty's brow furrowed.

"No. I'm just relieved that Jamie seems willing to give Lee a chance." Amanda wiped the tears from her cheeks, smiled, then noticed the clock. "Oh my gosh, I've only got an hour!" 

Dressed and ready, Amanda stood in her bedroom waiting for her boys to get her and lead her to the aisle. When a knock sounded, her heart leapt. But she opened the door to find Francine instead.

"Hello, Francine," Amanda said, smiling.

"Amanda," Francine seemed to pause. "I wasn't sure if you needed anything, so I thought I'd come up to check."

"You mean apart from an exterminator to get rid of the butterflies in my stomach?" Amanda laughed.

"You two," Francine shook her head. "You should see Lee pacing downstairs. It's fabulous to see Scarecrow nervous. How the mighty have fallen." 

Just then, a knock sounded, sobering them both.

"Mom?" Phillip said from behind the door. "It's time."

Their eyes met and both smiled. 

Amanda opened the door. Francine left the room to take her seat, and Amanda took her son's arms and headed down the stairs.

When she reached the patio doors, the wedding march began. The guests stood, but Amanda didn't notice. All she saw was Lee, standing next to Billy, resplendent in his tuxedo. The first time they'd spoken to each other, outside of their two hurried meetings on a train platform and a fast food restaurant, Lee had been wearing this tux. And it looked as good now as it had then. 

Reaching his side, Amanda stopped to place kisses on her son's cheeks before taking Lee's arm. She raised her face and looked into his eyes. All she needed, all she wanted, was there in his face.

The minister began, reciting the familiar words of love and commitment, but Amanda was only vaguely aware of them. She was so caught up in her feelings, her love for this man in front of her, she lost track of the ceremony. Until Lee called her name.

"Amanda?" he said quietly.

But then she wasn't at her wedding anymore. Lee was calling her name, but he seemed so far away.

"Amanda?" he said again, more insistently.

"What happened?" she asked, the familiar feel of his hand in hers jarring her into the here and now.

"There was a little problem," Lee sighed as a wave of relief passed over him.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, trying to sit up. Pain wracked her body, so she lay back down.

"Everything's fine," Lee stood and indicated the room's other occupants.

Amanda craned her neck to the side, and took in the dual bassinets behind her husband.

"Matt and Jenny just decided to make their entrance a drama," Lee grinned, still in awe over his son and daughter. He had been scared when Amanda went into labor two weeks early. But when the doctor found the babies' heartbeats beginning to fall, and had rushed Amanda into an emergency C-section, he had been downright terrified.

"Just like their father," Amanda said sleepily, still groggy from the anesthesia.

"Is she awake?" Jamie asked, poking his head into the hospital room door.

"I'm awake, sweetheart," Amanda called, glancing over to her son. 

Jamie looked down the hallway and called to the others that she was awake, then entered the room.

Later, as Amanda scanned the faces in her hospital room, she felt truly blessed. Dotty was holding Jenny, Lee was holding Matt, and her two older boys were making faces at the newborns over the shoulders of those holding them. 

Lee met her eyes then, an aura of happiness surrounding him. Dotty caught the look and placed Jenny in Amanda's arms and ushered Phillip and Jamie from the room.

"Do you want Matt, too?" Lee asked, taking a chair next to her bed.

"Tired of fatherhood already, Stetson?" Amanda teased.

"I've been a father for two years now, Mrs. Stetson. I'm just afraid I'm gonna break him or something." Amanda remembered Francine's words from her wedding day, _How the mighty have fallen_. Too true, she thought.

"You're not going to break him, and he looks perfectly content with his daddy," Amanda yawned again. Noticing his wife's fatigue, Lee placed Matt in his bassinet and Jenny in hers, and dragged the chair closer to Amanda's side. She was almost asleep already.

"I love you, Mrs. Stetson. And despite what you said, I'm never touching you again," Lee cringed at the thought of watching his wife in that much pain, and just the thought that he had been partly responsible gored at him. No, no, no. He was never touching Amanda again. 

"That's what they all say," Amanda mumbled before sleep overtook her.

Lee watched his wife slide into much needed rest and stared at his sleeping children.

Children.

The thought caused a shiver of panic to thread through him. Taking on the role of stepfather to Amanda's boys had been one thing. What did he know about raising babies? Nothing. He barely remembered his parents, and the Colonel hadn't been much of a nurturer. Logic told him that Amanda had done it before, and had done a damn good job. Phillip and Jamie were great kids. 

But he didn't want to rely solely on Amanda's past mothering experience. Joe's trick had been to step back, take a job requiring travel, and let Amanda do it on her own. No. He wanted to be a hands-on father.

__

Right. You're afraid to hold your own child. That's a plus, he thought sarcastically.

"You'll do fine," Amanda mumbled, making him realize he'd spoken aloud. He turned his attention to her, surprised to find her eyes closed and her breathing regular. She was truly something, this woman he married. They were so in tune with each other that she could answer him while on the edges of sleep.

Lee kicked back in his chair, watching Amanda's steady breathing, when Jenny started to stir. Crossing the room, he removed his daughter and returned to his chair. 

As he sat, Jenny's puffy brown eyes met his. And she stared. He'd been under close scrutiny on the job, but never like this. Lee lifted his hand to touch the downy softness of her cheek, while Jenny studied him. Obviously content, she closed her eyes and returned to sleep.

Lee took the blanket swaddling her and loosened it a bit. He pulled a tiny hand out and nearly fell over when the small fingers took hold of his. She had quite a grip, and at that moment, Lee realized she hadn't just gripped his finger, she'd taken hold of him, too. How could this little person wrap herself around his heart so quickly?

__

Makes sense, he thought again_, after all, it didn't take her mother much longer._

The anxiety of the day's events began to catch up to him in the quiet of the room. Lee wrapped his arms around Jenny and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

In his dream, he was back in their bedroom in Arlington. He and Amanda had returned a few weeks earlier from London, where they'd spent their first anniversary. Lying in bed, Lee was dozing in and out, waiting for Amanda to finish in the bathroom so he could get ready for work. 

A smile teased his lips as the thought of her going downstairs to make him a breakfast he wouldn't eat. He'd tried to get her to stop, but she refused. She had simply smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and said she'd wear him down eventually.

"Oh my gosh," Amanda's muffled voice came from behind the door. That made Lee smile even bigger. Then she appeared at the bathroom door, a look of shock on her face.

"Lee," she said tentatively, crossing the room to sit beside him on the bed.

"What is it, Amanda?" Lee was getting a little worried at the look on her face.

"Remember the food poisoning we thought I had in London?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded, confused more than worried.

"Well," she paused, and placed a stick on his lap. "It wasn't food poisoning."

Lee had stated at the stick. It was white with a little blue line at the end. Never in his life had fear and joy vied for his attention at the same time.

"Manda?" he asked, using the pet name he'd given her shortly after the wedding.

"Looks like we've got a little scarecrow on the way," Amanda raised her face to his. He could usually read her so well, but this time, he couldn't. His own state of shock wasn't helping.

"How do you feel about that?" Lee asked, taking her hand and meeting her eyes. There was a slight sparkle there, but from joy or unshed tears he couldn't tell.

"Blessed," Amanda finally said. "I mean I know we never really talked about it. But just the thought of it, Lee. A little us." 

And they had spent the remainder of the morning celebrating together. Alone.

Amanda's mother had been overjoyed at the news, the boys had responded with typical teenage nonchalance. 

And, Lee had to admit, he did everything but crow once Amanda started showing. She moved with the fluid grace she always had through the Agency hallways. Being pregnant with twins hadn't taken that from her. She even told him if he didn't wipe the self-satisfied smirk off his face, she'd do it for him. But he couldn't help it. It had been one of the proudest times of his life.

"Lee?" Amanda said softly. She had awakened herself moments before. She'd felt a slight panic at Jenny's empty bassinet, but then had turned to see Lee, fast asleep, with their daughter wrapped in his arms.

"Lee?" she tried again.

She must have broken through, because he opened his eyes with a snap, registering Amanda's face, and then glanced down to Jenny.

"I must have dozed off," Lee said, voice still thick from sleep. "I was dreaming about you," he grinned at her, flashing the dimple she hoped her new son would carry.

"That's strange," Amanda smiled back, "I dreamt of you earlier. The wedding."

"The pregnancy," Lee answered, rising to sit next to his wife. 

"Why is it that I can't seem to be apart from you, even in sleep, Amanda Stetson?" Lee said, a serious look to his face.

"My very good luck, Lee Stetson," she smiled back. "And since I seem to have the same problem, I guess we're just stuck with each other, huh?"

"You got that right," Lee smiled again, leaning down to take his wife's lips with his own. Jenny, who had remained asleep throughout the conversation, began to stir in Lee's arms, and Matt began fussing in his bassinet. Jamie and Phillip returned at the sound of baby cries to ask if they could help.

And as the new parents sat together, tending to their new children, as their older ones looked on, Dotty watched the scene from the doorway. Tears of joy spilled unheeded down her cheeks, and she offered up thanks for this man that had come into her daughter's life. The man that made their family complete.


End file.
